Cthulhu Supremus Est

Sunday June 13, 1926

Endgame, Part I

After an evening that finds the investigators self-medicating themselves to sleep, Ray Brannigan, Jonas Markham, Ivy Morgan, and Alistair Sinclair wake up early Sunday morning prepared to get to the bottom of events in Red Hook. While all have tossed and turned in their sleep, only Jonas seems to bear the emotional scars of a fitful night.

The group has an early breakfast and makes brief stops at the Hotel Belleclaire and Ray’s Place for fresh clothes before driving to Amityville, Long Island, in search of Thomas Malone. At the local general store, Ivy gets a bottle of scotch, a bottle of whiskey, and directions to the home of the former detective. The group makes their way to Malone’s home and finds him tending to his garden (which looks more like some wild flowers and weeds than an actual garden). He tries to be cordial with investigators, but the emotionally fragile lawman has been living in denial, and the mention of Red Hook and the Red Hook Disaster unhinges him.

Taking the whiskey from Ivy, Malone drains a quarter of the bottle, stares blankly forward and says, “O friend and companion of night, thou who rejoicest in the baying of dogs and spilt blood, who wanderest in the midst of shades among the tombs, who longest for blood and bringest terror to mortals, Gorgo, Mormo, thousand-faced moon, look favorably on our sacrifices.” When he finishes, the bottle drops from his hand and breaks upon the ground. Malone lets out a blood-curdling scream, and runs in to his home.

Ivy knocks on the door in an attempt to speak further with Malone, but is greeted by the business end of a .38 revolver. “Please leave me be,” bellows Malone, and he closes the door. From inside, Ivy can hear the broken man weeping.

After the unsettling events in Amityville, the investigators decide to return to Red Hook and visit the Hamilton Construction Company. Fearing that Jerry Wells is involved in the murders in some way, Ray, Jonas, and Ivy cautiously enter the office while Alistair keeps watch by the car. As they enter, the investigators are greeted by the stench of decomposing bodies and the sound of swarming flies. The smell is too much for them to handle, and all three begin to vomit profusely. A quick scan of the rest of the office leads the group to the conclusion that it remains unchanged from their confrontation with the vagrants the previous afternoon.

Outside, Alistair is keeping a watch on the area, when he notices a reflection out of the corner of his eye. When he turns to face it, he believes he sees the sunlight reflect off of something metallic that disappears down an alley.

A vomit-soaked Ray, Jonas, and Ivy exit the office and quickly clean themselves up as best as they can. Alistair informs the others of what he saw, and after Ivy changes in to some of Jonas’ spare clothes, they walk down to the alley to investigate. It is grimy, dingy, and littered with rotting refuse. The windows and doors are all boarded up, and after a thorough search, the investigators are unable to find signs of anyone or anything.

After reviewing the letter they found on Andre Vollinchanski’s blood-soaked clipboard, the group decides to kill two birds with one stone and visit the abandoned brownstone and MacGuffin home, which are located across the way from each other on Wallhearst Street.

Upon first glace, it is clear to the investigators that the abandoned brownstone should be knocked down. As they enter the building, Ivy can see that parts of the second floor have collapsed, and the sky can be clearly seen through portions of the roof. They perform a quick search of the first floor and determine that it would be quite unsafe to attempt a search of the second floor.

The view across Wallhearst Street couldn’t be more different. The MacGuffin home, while old, seems in good repair – the front garden has been tended nicely, there is fresh paint on the shutters, and the front facade is warm and welcoming. Alistair knocks on the door and is greeted by a gruff, Scottish brogue from inside. Once Alistair introduces himself as a writer who is researching a book on Red Hook, the door opens and Liam MacGuffin grins at them toothily.

Liam is a fifty-year resident of Red Hook. He’s a lonely widower who is very excited to entertain “normal” guests in his home. He is quite the raconteur, and tells the investigators stories about his time in Red Hook while he brews them some coffee. He is more than happy to recount what he knows about the Red Hook Disaster, as well as other information the group does not know.

“There’s some talk now of strange happenings starting to stir again in Red Hook,” Liam begins. “Some say there’s a group of people living on the streets that’s gone kill crazy. Some say, and I have a mind to believe them, that these people worship the devil. Most agree that the killing of the construction fella the other night was done by them.”

“I’ve seen the one that leads them. They call him Father Washington – he used to be in charge of the old church on Farnham Street some years ago. I’m a Catholic, but there’s no way in hell that you would get me to go to his church. Nowadays, old Washington wears this mask all of the time on account of him getting caught in the disaster. He’s always seen now with the bums and the riff-raff on the streets. I hear he sometimes returns to the abandoned church on Farnham – probably just so he can defile it more!”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t go messing around with Father Washington, or you’re likely to end up like that poor construction fella.”

After an hour or so, Liam shows the investigators to his coal chute and excuses himself; but not without first offering an invitation to the investigators to, “stop by whenever you’re in town.”

With no other leads open to them, the investigators drive to Ving’s Store, the last location listed in Vollinchanski’s letter. It is no more than a shabby storefront that used to be the first floor of a single-family home. As the investigators enter, a bell chimes and a silhouetted figure walks down the stairs. They see a thin, elderly Asian man enter the room. He has disgusting, inch-long yellowed fingernails, and is wearing a yellow robe over dirty, tattered long-johns. Protruding from the waistband of his undergarment is the handle of a .38 revolver.

He introduces himself as Ving, owner and proprietor of Ving’s Store. With elaborate hand-gestures, he shows off various trinkets, charms, fetishes, wards, talismans, and potions that he states have, “mystical powers.”

Ray looks on in stunned silence, while Jonas peruses the shelves, and Ivy and Alistair attempt to question Ving about Father Washington and current events in Red Hook. When asked a question about anything other than his store or his products, Ving says, “I know NOTHING about that. I keep my nose CLEAN!”

While looking about the store, Jonas comes across a calendar on the wall with a strange, five-pointed star drawn over June 14th. When asked about the significance of the date, Ving says excitedly, “That important day. All planets come in line. Good to have one of Ving’s wards against evil that day!”

Eager to move along the proceedings and find out if Ving knows more than he lets on, Alistair throws a one-hundred dollar-bill on the counter and attempts to bribe the shop owner for information on Father Washington. Ving denies having any knowledge of outside events, but does tell the investigators that they can take six charms/wards and six potions. After choosing various items (all of which look like they were made from things found in Ving’s back alley) from the shelves, the investigators bid Ving farewell and exit the store. “Come back soon! You make Ving’s DAY,” Ving shouts from inside.

As the investigators walk back to the car, Alistair notices a note lying on driver’s seat of Jonas’ Packard:

Father Washington is gonna kill another one of them construkshen workers tonite at midnite for some kind of black majik thing. They are gonna do it in the basement of the Tullio Warehouse. I am letting you no this cause I want you to no that not all people in Red Hook are with Father Washington and his kind. Thare has been to much killin heer all redy. I hope you can stop it.

Who left the note? Is it a real warning, or merely a trap set by Father Washington? Is Jerry Wells the construction worker that is going to be killed? Ray, Ivy, Jonas, and Alistair stand alone in the hot afternoon sun, pondering these riddles and plotting their next move.